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... Sucker MCs upended that (Light 63). Unlike the majority of rappers during that time, Run-D. M. C. came from Hollis, an African American middle-class section of Queens, instead of the South Bronx.
Run-D. M. C. was made up of Joseph Simmons (a. k. a.
Run), Darryl Mc Daniels (a. k. a. D. M. C. ), and Jason Mill (a.
k. a. Jam Master Jay) (Light 63). The group redefined rhyming with a style that Jones described saying, Run and D. M. C.
shout, basically, but the rhymes go back and forth like beach balls between sea lions, with one finishing the others line (Light 62). Their style strayed from the more flamboyant dress of other rap groups they often wore Adidas sweat suits or black leather suits with their notorious black fedoras (Light 63). The groups greatest success came with their third album, Raising Hell, which became the first rap album to reach number one on the R& B charts, and the first rap album to go multi-platinum (Light 65). Raising Hell included Run-D.
M. C. s legendary remake of Aerosmith's song Walk This Way, which reached Billboards Top 10 and established rap as more than just a fad in the music world (Light 65). Run-D. M. C.
bridged the gap between a white and black audience. Run-D. M. C.
became fixtures on the MTV network, and suburban white teenagers became more and more familiar with rap music. Run-D. M. C. s songs connected with white listeners because they were more able to relate to the groups. They came from a middle class area and rapped less about the difficulties of living in the ghetto and more light-hearted.
For example the song My Adidas, from the smash-hit album Raising Hell, discusses the rappers shoes. This type of music is more inviting for white listeners because it is part of their culture too. Also, unlike some rappers at the time Run D. M. C. did not express militancy towards the whites who controlled the government and they felt were responsible for the poor living conditions in the ghetto.
Run D. M. C. s connection with a large white audience was the first of its time. Hip-Hop had officially garnered a position in American culture, and it was only going to get larger. Towards the end of the 1980 s, hip-hops presence continued to grow with artists like Public Enemy and KRS-One.
These artists built on the progress made by their predecessors and strayed from the former tone of hip-hop. KRS-One and Public Enemy are given credit for utilizing rap to express ideas and issues that had gone untouched. They added a political flavor to their music, and tackled such issues as race, poverty, and the government with a radical and assertive approach. Public Enemy's leader, Chuck D once explained that his goal for the group was to produce 5, 000 new leaders for the African American community (Light 166). During the height of their career, Public Enemy created plenty of controversy and laid the seeds for future conscious rap. Their lyrics empowered African Americans and called for a revolution to correct the ills of society.
This can be seen in such tracks as Fear of a Black Planet in which the injustice of racism is examined: Ive been wondering why/People live in fear/Of my shade/ (Or my hi top fade) /Im not the one thats runnin/But they got me on the run/Treat me like I have a gun/All I got is genes and chromosomes/Consider me black to the bone/All I want is peace and love/One this planet/ (Isnt that how God planned it? ) (Leos Lyrics) These lyrics provide an excellent analysis of lingering racist sentiments in America. KRS-One, like Public Enemy, promoted African American empowerment and discussion of pressing controversial issues in the American landscape. KRS-One was born Lawrence Brown in Park Slope, Brooklyn in 1965 (Light 145). KRS-One ran away from home at age 16 and immersed himself in books and hip-hop culture. After traveling with a number of graffiti writing groups and gangs, KRS-One turned his focus to rap music, and earned his reputation as The Teacher (Light 149). He wrote lyrics inspired by the teachings of Malcolm X and other radical African American minds, and he sought out to expose police brutality, poverty, and American hypocrisy (Light 149).
For example, in his song Sound of the Police KRS-One addresses the issue of police brutality against African Americans, especially in light of the LA riots: First show a little respect, change your behavior/Change your attitude, change your plan/There could never be justice on stolen land/Are you really for peace and equality? /Or when my car is hooked up, you know you want to follow me/Your laws are minimal/Cause you wont even think about lookin at the real criminal (Leos Lyrics) Although the practice of racial profiling and police brutality within urban African American neighborhoods was a familiar issue for African Americans, whites were relatively unaware of such practice. Thus, KRS-One and other rap artists were able to arouse awareness with such songs as the one above. This is a major reason why rap music is such a relevant artistic expression - it communicates the concerns and sentiments of those who are rarely given voice. For the most part, hip-hop culture was associated and designated to the East Coast, and specifically the New York area. This changed, however, with the rise of the West Coast hip-hop scene, epitomized by the gangster rap phenomenon that dominated popular music for much of the 90 s. Rapper Ice-T was one of the founding members of the gangster rap movement, with his graphic tales of gang violence; however, it was the contributions of Niggaz With Attitude (N.
W. A. ) that truly changed the course of rap music and hip-hop culture. N. W. A. consisted of Andre Young (a.
k. a. Dr. Dre), Eric Wright (a. k.
a. Easy E), Other Jackson (a. k. a.
Ice Cube), Antoine Carry (a. k. a. DJ Hell), and Lorenzo Patterson (a. k. a.
MC Ren) (Unofficial Timeline). The group produced raw, violent, and aggressive music that portrayed and glamorized the urban street life they grew up around. This can be seen in such tracks as Straight Outta Compton in which Ice Cube declares, When Im called off, I got a sawed off/Squeeze the trigger, and bodies are hauled off (Leos Lyrics). Rather than alienating the white America that had no understanding of the gangster lifestyle, N. W. A.
and its successors captivated the attentions and desires of white suburban youth, who were inexplicably draw...
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